Mississippi Snakes
Product details
- ISBN 9781496863904
- Dimensions: 178 x 254mm
- Publication Date: 15 Sep 2026
- Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Mississippi Snakes: Their Identification, Natural History, and Influence on the Culture of the Magnolia State is more than just a guidebook about snakes. It is a new approach to understanding the natural history of one of the most biologically diverse and culturally rich states in the country. Authors Terry L. Vandeventer and Robert A. Young share facts, stories, and practical advice about the more than fifty different kinds of snakes living in Mississippi.
The topic of snakes slithers to the forefront of conversations held on porches and around campfires throughout Mississippi. However, most people know very little about snakes, and what they believe is often steeped in myth and inaccuracies. The authors present facts and answer questions about the often-misunderstood reptiles. "What are snakes good for?" "Do snakes really chase people?" "Can you age a rattlesnake by the rattle?" "What do I do if I’m bitten by a snake?"
With 350 beautiful color photographs, the authors teach readers how to identify snakes and how to determine what they eat and where they live. They also delve into how snakes feature in our history, music, and everyday activities. Written for the general audience but containing a wealth of accurate scientific data, the book appeals equally to the layperson and the professional herpetologist.
Terry L. Vandeventer is a herpetologist who led the reptile department at the Jackson Zoological Park from 1976 to 1981. He later founded the Living Reptile Museum, a live lecture series he ran until his retirement in 2022. He has been a herpetology field associate at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science since 1976.
Robert A. Young is a board-certified toxicologist who worked as senior research staff in the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1988 to 2011. He maintains herpetology as a serious avocation, with special interests in snake venoms and fieldwork with reptiles and amphibians.
